I wish to fit a spare set of wheels and winter tyres to my 2008 Ford Fiesta Zetec Blue. The car currently has 16-inch alloys with 195/45 R16 tyres. I was considering fitting 14-inch steel wheels with deeper profile winter tyres, but have been advised that such wheels may foul the brake calipers, particularly as the pads wear.

Am I best advised to fit 195/45 R16 winter tyres to the current 16-inch wheels? Alternatively I could purchase 16-inch steel wheels for winter, with 195/16 winter tyres. I get the impression that a deeper profile would be better suited for winter tyres.

Obviously the overall diameter of the wheels has to be equal to the current diameter. Is the offset of the wheels critical? Assistance and advice would be much appreciated.